In preparation for a number of training sessions OneSmartWorld will be delivering in December, I found myself assigned the task of booking a meeting room for the two day event. The brief was simple: find and secure a meeting room at an appropriate venue that would be within budget and could accommodate ten to fifteen people on a specific date. Booking meeting rooms is a pretty routine task and is usually just a matter of getting a few details right. It’s not usually considered to be a highly collaborative or complicated task. Nonetheless my experience this week has underlined how even the most humdrum of duties can be challenging when people with different operating styles, and preferences for working come together on a single task.

Booking a meeting room is a lot like a meeting itself. There are goals, various options, solutions, constraints, and requirements. There are also similar opportunities for creative thinking (“Why don’t we have the session in my friend’s gallery space?”) and analysis (“That space didn’t work well for the last session, what about…”). There can also be many of the same challenges as there are in meetings. While one person is trying to offer an alternative possibility, another might be trying to hammer down a conclusion. Just like with meetings, the trick to is to do the same action at the same time.

After speaking with representatives from several organizations I was struck by how many different styles there are for approaching the same task. Some people just wanted to hear the facts, tell me the price, and hear me say yes or no. Others were very interested in hearing about what the room was going to be used for, if we would need internet access, and what table configuration I preferred. Different still were those people who didn’t have a space available at all, but suggested a number of other options.

These different approaches are likely reflective of these particular people’s preferred operating styles, as well as the rules and character of the organizations they work for. It made me think about how you don’t have to be IN a meeting to experience some of the same challenges they bring out. There are many situations in which we are required to cooperate with others in order to gather information, make decisions, and secure the best possible outcome. While it may not be realistic to expect everyone to be able to communicate with the OneSmartWorld common language of colour, an awareness of different preferences and operating styles goes a long way. The best solutions will ultimately be found when operating styles are respected, combined, and each given a turn. 

I found the perfect meeting room this afternoon. I chose it for the view.

By Daniel St. Germaine